"11th century Italy. The domination of the Normans is causing trouble. At their head is the feared Robert de Hauteville, the 'Guiscard', who has colonised much of Italy and commands the triple Dukedom of the extended Norman family. But Robert has made many enemies, including the ever-powerful papacy in Rome. The newly elected Pope Gregory exercises his vendetta against the Normans by encouraging them to sail to Byzantium and fight the Turks. But first he must deal with the Guiscard. As Robert suppresses a Lombard revolt, his first-born Bohemund, now 17 and blessed with the strength, height and military prowess of his father, has come to fight in his army. Bohemund seeks to assert his natural right as the heir of Robert's dukedom, but it is not without difficulty as Robert's second son Borsa is now legally entitled to inherit. . . Blood ties will count for nothing."
"Thanks to the stratagems of Bohemund de Hauteville, leader of the Apulian Normans, the Crusade has taken the city of Antioch, and just in time. Once the besiegers, Bohemund and his men are about to become the besieged - a huge Turkish-led army, commanded by the fearsome General Kerbogha, is fast approaching. Provisions are desperately needed, but the surrounding countryside is near barren and the storerooms of Antioch much depleted. The Crusaders will not hold out for long without falling prey to starvation. For Bohemund and his nephew Tancred there is another difficulty: the dissent between the Crusade leaders has broken out into the open. If the Christian host is fighting on two fronts, so is Bohemund himself. With the enemy Turks at his front and his warring peers at his back, can he gain the mighty city of Antioch once and for all?"
"Lucius Falerius is dead, and Rome in its entirety mourns the passing of its most powerful senator. It falls to his son Marcellus to carry out his father's legacy and restore the rights promised to the defeated Sicilian slaves, yet there are those who will not see the honour of Rome compromised and the slaves assuaged. On the Roman border provinces there is trouble, and the legions move north to neutralise the threat posed by the Celts. The confederation of Celtic tribes is united under one Chieftain, the formidable and unpredictable Brennos, yet there is a plot to see him dead and the confederation broken. For Brennos, the treachery comes from within his own family, for which he will exact a brutal and bloody revenge."
"Two boys appeal to the famed Roman oracle for a glimpse into their future, and the Sybil draws an omen of death. As they flee from the cave in fear, Aulus and Lucius make an oath of loyalty until death - one that will be tested in the years to come. Thirty years on and Aulus, now Rome's most successful general, faces his toughest battle. Barbarian rebels have captured his wife and are demanding the withdrawal of Roman legions from their land. It is unthinkable for Aulus to agree, and he fears she must be forfeit for Rome. Meanwhile, Lucius has risen to high rank in the Senate; a position he abuses. But when Lucius is linked to a murder the foundations of the Republic are threatened. Lucius and Aulus soon find themselves on different sides of the conflict, the old prophecy hanging over them. . ."
"Rome has lost its greatest warrior; Aulus Cornelius is dead. Although he is hailed as a hero, the betrayal by cowardly governor Flaminus is not forgotten. Aulus' death has left his sons with grave responsibilities. While Titus swears vengeance against Flaminus, and to become as great a general as his father, Quintus chooses to pursue politics - under the guidance of Lucius Falerius, now the most powerful senator in Rome. Despite his fortune, Lucius is haunted by the prophecy that binds his fate to Aulus'. As he trains his son, Marcellus, he manipulates the Cornelius family to his own ends. Meanwhile, the young Aquila considers his mother's deathbed revelation. With only a mysterious eagle amulet left to him, Aquila joins a band of mercenaries. Unknowingly, he heads straight into the heart of a slave uprising and closer to a destiny entwined with that of the Roman Republic."
"1096. The Pope has called for a crusade to free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europe have responded. Among them is the Norman, Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium. In company with his warrior nephew, Tancred of Lecce, Bohemund must once more cross the Adriatic to the lands of the Byzantine Empire. His first task, pushing back the infidel Turks, calls for an uneasy alliance with old enemy Emperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust the wily Emperor? With old tensions arising, and the violent battles of the People's Crusade bringing destruction upon middle Europe, the strength of this reluctant truce and the de Hauteville dynasty itself are truly put to the test. Bohemund is faced once again with the opportunity to gain power, land, and riches for himself, but do the risks of doing so outweigh the rewards?"
"The Hundred Years' War is over and newly-knighted Sir John Hawkwood is headed for France to make his fortune as a freebooter. Violence and extortion are rife, and the freebooters will stop at nothing to capture the Papal City of Avignon. This is only the beginning: Italy beckons, and with it, yet more battles against rival mercenaries, powerful cities and the Papal State."
"Who can Flavius Belisarius call an enemy? The Goths he must fight to take Italy back for the Byzantium. Or is it the intrigues of the Empress Theodora, who fears his ambitions. There is his own wife, betraying him in more than one way and Justinian, the unreliable emperor he helped to the throne. Sixth Century Byzantium, a hotbed of intrigue; Italy and Persia where he must combat some of his fellow generals. Count Belisarius, the empire's most successful military leader, must navigate a world infested with too many enemies, few friends and fight and win battles on the way."
"Justinian, the Byzantine Emperor, is desperate to revive the empire's glory. Among his actions to this effect is the dispatch of his brave general Belisaurius to fight the Persians in the East. But Justinian fights paranoia and grows concerned that Belisaurius will become a threat to his power and person. [web]"
"Fifth century of the Byzantium Empire. Flavius Belisaurius is son of the Governor of Dorostorum City, and his father has two goals: to keep out the barbarians and to expose the deep roots of secular and ecclesiastical corruption. Seeking to prevent a raid, the Governor enlists the help of the powerful magnate, Senuthius Vicinus. Vicinus's corruption is widespread but his support is crucial to win the battle. But Vicinus betrays this trust and Belisaurius Jnr witnesses the death of his father and the irretrievable tarnishing of his reputation. With Belisaurius's life changed for good he swears vengeance on the man that betrayed his father and begins a journey from which there is no virtuous way back."
"1938. As Hitler sets his sights on the Sudetenland, not everyone in Britain is willing to appease him. Convinced that the fürher's land hunger is insatiable, the head of the SIS recruits Cal Jardine to help him prove that Czechoslovakia is threatened with invasion. Before heading undercover to Prague, however, Jardine must first extricate himself from France, where his attempts to smuggle guns to Spain have been held up by a group of fanatical fascists. Finally arriving in Czechoslovakia, working undercover for the SIS proves no less dangerous. As jealousy and mutual suspicions within Secret Service ranks make it impossible for Jardine to tell friend from foe, he rediscovers old friends of dubious loyalty and makes new enemies of untested ruthlessness."
"When a favour to a friend leaves Cal Jardine caught up in the Spanish Civil War, he finds that he must take a bunch of athletes and turn them into fighters. He meets the revolutionary, Juan Laporta, and if they do not make a perfect combination as fighters they form an effective one, both in Barcelona and then as they advance into the interior. But trouble is brewing in the person of communist diehard Manfred Drecker which threatens the fight and Cal himself. From the street battles of Barcelona to the fighting in the countryside, Cal finds action as well as friendship, but following a murderous betrayal he must have suitable revenge. (web)"
